NIA Investigates Tahawwur Rana's Pan-India Terror Recruitment Network Following 26/11 Attack Role

New Delhi:

The extradition of Tahawwur Rana from the US to India represents a significant breakthrough in the Mumbai 26/11 attack investigation. Currently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is interrogating him, focusing primarily on the terrorist attack but will likely expand to examine his involvement in other incidents.

During questioning, Rana has acknowledged his role in the attacks, admitting he provided comprehensive support to David Headley during reconnaissance missions of potential targets that were subsequently attacked that tragic night.

Rana has furnished numerous details about his involvement and the planning that preceded the attack.

An official involved in the investigation stated that while current efforts center on the 26/11 attack, they will also investigate whether Rana participated in other attacks within India.

Investigators are particularly interested in Rana's visits to various regions of India. While Rana has admitted being in Mumbai during the attack, agencies are working to determine his objectives when visiting other parts of the country during that period.

One official noted that Rana's travel itinerary extended well beyond Mumbai, including visits to multiple locations across North and South India.

Another official revealed that Rana, like David Headley, maintained regular communication with Ilyas Kashmiri, who led Al Qaeda's 313 Brigade at that time. Their conversations with Kashmiri frequently centered on the ambitious Ghazwa-e-Hind project, which aimed at India's destruction.

In one conversation, Kashmiri specifically instructed Rana to recruit large numbers of youth from Kerala for this project. However, Kashmiri also emphasized the need for nationwide recruitment, explaining Rana's visits to Kochi, Agra, Delhi, Hapur, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai.

According to investigators, these visits occurred between November 13 and 21, 2008. The NIA plans to investigate Rana's activities in these locations more thoroughly.

Officials believe Rana may have been establishing infrastructure for Kashmiri's broader strategy. Few details about this larger plan have emerged yet, as the NIA currently concentrates exclusively on the 26/11 investigation.

"Our priority is building an airtight case that completely exposes the Pakistani establishment's role in the attack," an official stated.

Among all locations Rana visited, agencies are particularly scrutinizing his trip to Kochi. Another official confirmed that his Kerala visit wasn't related to reconnaissance activities.

Unlike Headley, Rana lacked training for reconnaissance missions. During his Kerala visit, he presented himself as an immigration consultant. His attempts to establish fronts in Kerala for recruitment purposes are currently under investigation.

Furthermore, agencies have discovered he placed advertisements in local newspapers targeting individuals seeking US and Canadian visas. An Intelligence Bureau official suggested Rana was likely creating a cover to gather potential recruits under one umbrella.

Kerala was also strategically important for Kashmir, as it marked the first exception regarding the Kashmir conflict made for cadres from this state.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the ISI typically recruits locals or deploys Pakistanis for terror operations. In 2013, a court convicted 13 individuals for recruiting terrorists for Kashmir camps. In 2008, four individuals from Kerala died in a Kashmir encounter, marking the first time Lashkar-e-Taiba recruited non-Pakistanis and non-Kashmiris for operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials indicate that details about Rana's broader plans beyond the 26/11 attack remain limited at present.

The official added that once the Mumbai investigation concludes, authorities will examine the remainder of his agenda.